Internet Marketing in Business Essay

An effective ‘Marketing Mix’ including all 7 is a way of identifying a businesses achievements of marketing objectives, meeting customer needs, is balanced and consistent, creates a competitive advantage and matches corporate resources. The 7p’s include: product, price, place, promotion, people, process and physical evidence Product: This is first considered in the marketing mix as it all depends on it. This can be a physical product or a service that the corporation is offering to the public. The only way to have a good marketing strategy is by making sure that the ‘product’ is up to standard, promoting every quality part of that good or service. Bikroy promotes their products very effectively as they use picture to enhance the quality of the product itself. They also provide a range of products and service including clothes, accessories, shoes/sandals etc and it provided for men and women. They include brand and designer wear which shows that they have high quality in their product. Bikroy also sells a range of products matching famous celebrity’s outfits that customers would want to buy. Bikroy, online or in their online newspaper provides customers the latest fashion info and what not to wear giving them an advantage to promote their products. Price: This is the total amount a customer pays for the product. It is decided through a number of factors a product have to offer including material costs, product identity, competition, market share and the customer’s perceived value of the product. If other store/business have the same product on stock other businesses may decrease or increase their price for customer satisfaction. Their price for the products vary depending on the product – quality, brand etc. For the designer items it can be expensive, although Bikroy may provide same looking product without the brand name making it affordable. Place: Place represents the location where a product can be purchased. It is often known as the distribution channel. The place can be situated as a physical store or as virtuals stores on the internet. Bikroy.com is rapidly becoming the market leader in the Bangladesh online. All the products are sold ONLINE and not located anywhere else where people can purchase Bikroy items. They does have a warehouse where all stocks are kept and together has a office located in Dhaka. Promotion: Is a way of communication that a business/organisation may use in the market place. It enables the marketer to a advertise the product or service being provided by them. Advertisement is a powerful tool that corporations uses to enhance their products/service to encourage buyers/customers. Promotion has four distinct elements made up of advertising, public relations, word of mouth and point of sale. As their business is purely based upon the internet everything is promoted through the World Wide Web on the website and off. They have promotion on other websites and also Bikroy has developed an application to allow customers to track particular products on its sites through their web browser, whatever websites they are looking at. Bikroy organisation communicates information about their product and service to potential customers by identifying customer details and sends them information through mail, post etc aiming to sell the products. Another advertising method Bikroy use s on their website is that they have added a page of feedback from customers which enables ‘public relation’ which is one of the promotion powerful element. People: It is appropriate to have people in the marketing of services as all people who directly or indirectly influence the perceied value of the product or service, inlcuding knowledge workers, employees, management of the business and also the consumers. People deliver services – they could be any mentioned. People promote and sell products and services. Are their employees, customers – their family and friends, and any other people associated with Bikroy.com. Employees are important to this strategy of marketing mix as in can be those who deliver the products to customers. So they have to polite, helpful and have the knowledge of the business for them to answer any questions provided by the customer. It can also be the employees that answer the phone when any customer calls for any queries. Bikroy.com also have employees updating their website and replying to emails and online comments on their feedback page. Bikroy employees has the knowledge, training and other as pect helping the business with marketing for their business. Bikroy customers are also people that help in them marketing of services as they spread the business information. Process: This is the procedures of activities which lead to an exchange of value. The process should include how customers are handled from first and last point of contact. Bikroy is determined to be number one in the online market. They have thought through their process and kept it clear and have made it customer satisfactory. Bikroy’s strategy consists of aims that has a well-defined process. Bikroy have control of their website, their information/images etc are presented without any doubt intelligibly promotional. Payments are all done through their website online as they are only an online business. Also they have a step-by-step information on how to use and buy off their website, they also have page on delivery information. Here they can track down on where shopping is, know how much is cost to deliver, know when to expect the delievery etc. Physical Evidence: It is the tangible form of the service – this can include how a customer is treated by a staff member, a train ticket, the length of time a customer has to wait for service or their product (depending on the business). A physical evidence is aproof for customer to measure whether he or she has recieved value. As Bikroy.com is an online company their customer has difficulty not knowing how for example a dress will feel, look on them. Bikroy therefore provides annual reports, articles, etc showing them that Bikroy products are worth the value. Bikroy helps customers with their products by giving them full information about the product.

Management Structures

Efficient management structure that meets the needs of an organization is definitely a must in every company. Needless to say, there are various management structures, but each one of them does affect both daily and long term activities of a company. Departmentalization In general, departmentalization refers to grouping activities into separate departments that are coordinated by a specialist or a group of specialists depending on the size of an organization (Torbiorn, 2004). Whether departmentalization is functions, product, customer, geigraphic, process, or a mixture of the stated above types, the affect on daily activities varies accordingly. As a result of departmentalization, the work process is built around certain products, services, or locations; the effeiciency of the production process also increases. To be more specific, the need for extensive external coordination reduces, since ability for the internal coordination within one unit increases, which means that daily company activities are more structured better organized around a certain factor, i.e. customer support department is built around the customer. Matrix Organizations In matrix management, workers in a company are grouped based on their skills, i.e. high-tech specialists work in the IT department (Shell, 2003). In this case, several projects can be assigned to a single department, which then leads to employees reporting to several project managers. Given workers are engaged in narrow activities and are grouped based on their specialization field, the depth of knowledge of employees increases. For instance, Java programmers, being involved solely in programming on this language, have their daily activities centered on this narrow activity, which then leads to narrow professional growth. The Project Team In the case of the project team, people are grouped together based on the common function, project they need to carry out (Shell, 2003) Given people are viewed as a one team, the performance is assessed based on mutual work, which then increases the â€Å"team spirit†. The daily work of team members is more supportive especially in situations when, for instance, one of the the members of a group team failed to carry out a task assigned. The Collegial Model Under the collegial model, the deision making process consensual and involves representatives of all parties affected by the decision (Nicholl, 2006) This management structure is more of idealistic, as daily activities of an organization are centered around meaningful progress, which even though leads to a greater level of empowerment and increases the level of interest, is still less efficient. This includes situations when a decision must be taken that has a negative impact on one or more parties that still must be taken for the mutual benefit. As the daily decision making process is more complicated, time and efforts consuming. It should be noted, that all management structures have positive and negatives sides, whereas implementation of a definite structure is a matter of specific organizational needs of a given company. References Nicholl, P. (2006). Organisational Structures Do Matter for Good Governance and Good Performance. Comparative Economic Studies, 48(2), 214. Shell, R. L. (2003). Management of Professionals (2nd ed.). New York: Marcel Dekker. Torbiorn, I. (1994). Operative and Strategic Use of Expatriates in New Organizations and Market Structures. International Studies of Management & Organization, 24(3), 5.

Arranged Marriage: Right or Wrong

Arranged Marriages: Wrong or Right? There is a wide spread global dispute about the topic of arranged marriages, many arguing that it is wrong, forced, and inhuman, while others defend them stating that they are socially and traditionally correct with their societies. Both sides fight frivolously and are on complete opposite sides of the argument, but what are the facts? Are arranged marriages right or wrong? Arranged marriages are believed to have been practiced since the dawn of man's existence, and they are still around even today, being practiced in many Middle Eastern and Asian countries (Professor's House).An arranged marriage, as defined by Paul B. Mehndiratta from the Department of Neurology is, â€Å"one where parents choose marital partners for their children. † (Mehndiratta 2007). For the most part, in ancient times, arranged marriages were used to seal a pact between two families, or in larger terms, they were used to seal a pact between countries in which two roya l members were betrothed (History of Arranged Marriages 2007). In countries where arranged marriage is practiced, it is as normal as freedom of marriage is to Americans.It is an age long tradition that happened for a variety of reasons—to bring two families together, to settle a dispute, to pay a debt, or simply just because the parents thought it was best (History of Arranged Marriages 2007)The two who are arranged to be married by their parents feel that they are honoring and respecting their parents by following through with their parents requests, and besides everyone else is doing it too so it's not out of the ordinary. People who live in countries where arranged marriages are traditional don't even know what the freedom of marriage is.And that's not wrong, it is just the way that their society is. Typically when people hear about arranged marriages they think of two people being forced to married each other against their will, solely to benefit their parents—no l ove, just servitude—but that is not always the case. According to Sarosh Abrar, a Hindu writer, there are two types of arranged marriages—love-arranged marriages and pure-arranged marriages. The meanings of each type are easily understood. Love-arranged marriages occur when two eople love each other and their parents accept it and decide to wed them. It is basically like a normal western civilization marriage. Pure-arranged marriages are arranged entirely by the betrothed's parents for whatever reason they feel fit, and they can be arranged at any time, from when they are adults, to when they are simply children and do not understand the concepts of marriage (Abrar, Sarosh). When many people hear of arranging a marriage when the two partners are still children, they think of â€Å"child brides,† and how horrible this is.They keep their minds narrow and only see the negative parts of arranged marriages. To a certain extent, these critics are truthful with what th ey say, but it does not mean that an entire civilization is full of forced marriages and child brides who later become servile slaves to their husbands. There is a large percentage of forced and unhealthy marriages. It is believed that between sixty and eighty percentage of marriages in Afghanistan are forced marriages, and there are also times, of course, then the two who are wedded are not happy or it is an unhealthy relationship.But that does not mean that every marriage in Afghanistan are forced marriages. It does not mean that just because the two who are wedded do not love each other at the time of the arrangement because they are so young won't love each other. Yes, they may be too young, by American standards, but later as their families allow them to spend as much time as they want together and allow them to just grow together, then a strong romantic bond will most likely occur and their marriage will, I believe, be successful.In fact, divorce rates of arranged marriages in countries that support it, are dramatically lower than divorce rates of Americans, who get married because they love each other (Nita 2007) It is as Sarosh Abrar says, â€Å"First comes marriage, then comes love,† (Abrar, Sarosh) Not to say that arranged marriages are more efficient, or better, than non-arranged marriages, I just want to defend the fact that arranged marriages are simply part of their society. It is a century old tradition that is highly respected in the Asian and Middle Eastern societies. But, asAmericans—we see everything that is dramatically different from ourselves, and we disapprove of it and try to change it. We try to â€Å"Americanize† everything around us. We want everyone to dress like us, talk like us, do the same things we do, follow the same traditions as we do—basically conform to our society. Our first target was our own country when we began assimilating the Native Americans, and now we are attempting to â€Å"Americaniz e† the globe. One day, the whole world may be â€Å"Americanized. † And is that a bad thing? America is, after all, the most powerful country in the world.Why wouldn't everyone else want to be like us. Well, the problem is that once everything has been â€Å"Americanized,† there won't be anymore variation in the world—there won't be any diversity. Age-old and beautiful cultures will cease to exist, and everyone will soon conform to one general society. As Chinua Achebe professes in his brilliant book's title–†Things Fall Apart. † Just like in his famous novel, the invaders, America in this case, saw people who were different than them, and they judged them as uncivilized savages.As a result, they imposed their society's rules on them and destroyed the Umoufian's traditions. Already, the arranged marriage culture has become victim of westernization as young Hindu, Muslim, and Asian, women rebel against their parents traditions as they yea rn for independence, as they yearn for the American lifestyle (Tarabay 2008). Parents who only want the best for their children, and who only want to follow the traditions that they were raised upon, are now being faced with teenagers who scoff their traditions and tell them that they are wrong to arrange a marriage for them.And where did these rebellious teenagers get the idea that arranged marriages were wrong? From Americans of course. These teenagers of course respect their parents and want to follow obey their wishes, but as everything in America tells them that arranged marriages are wrong, they become as Jamie Tarabay states, â€Å"trapped between two cultures,† and begin to rebel against their parents wishes with their emotions in full control (Tarabay 2007). Of course if a man or woman feels that they do not want to marry someone, then they should not be forced too.Forced marriages are of course wrong, and should be looked down upon. But arranged marriages that are n ot necessarily forced, are not wrong. They are simply the traditional passage of marriage for certain societies. To many who practice this, it is actually right to them. Who are we to be telling them that there lifestyle is wrong. It is way off base to believe that Americans, and people in general, will stop judging each other and trying to change each other, but it would be amazing if that happened.It is understandable that within the homeland, Americans look down upon arranged marriages because it is not part of our society, but when we extend our judgment to countries where this is practiced and we tell them they are wrong, then we in fact are the wrong ones. If a man or woman feels that their parents know what is best for them and they want to trust them with arranging their marriage, then they should not be told that that is wrong. Similarly, if someone who is being involved in an arranged marriage does not want to actually marry the person they are to be wedded to, then they s houldn't have to either.Basically, people should have the freedom of whether or not they want to arrange their marriage or if they want their parents to. They shouldn't have to deal with the pressure of others' judgment, which might ultimately change their mind. They shouldn't be told arranged marriages are wrong because they aren't. They're just different then how people in America normally get married and that's okay. In other countries, they probably look at our society and deem it as wrong as well. It's just human nature to see diversity and think of it as wrong. If only it weren't so. Unfortunately it is.Unfortunately America will continue to â€Å"Americanize† the world. Unfortunately, one day, the world will probably conform into one society that is accepted by the masses. And maybe one day, that too will change and be seen as uncivilized. Perhaps it is all just just a cycle. Humans have been going through it since the dawn of time—monarchy was socially correct at a time, now it isn't,wearing lavish robes and dresses was at one time socially correct, now it isn't. Maybe arranged marriages and non arranged marriages are just the same—maybe they are just cycles of life that are bound to change in time.Maybe. The world is truly an ever changing place. Resources Abrar, Sarosh. â€Å"First Comes Marriage, Then Comes Love† Aller-Stead Education. Accessed November 6, 2011 http://www. aller-stead. com/martin/pages/FirstComesMarriage. htm Achebe, Chinua 1958. â€Å"Things Fall Apart. † History of Arranged Marriage. 2007. â€Å"History of Arranged Marriage† Nov 21 2007. YGOY Accessed November 5 2011 http://marriage. ygoy. com/history-of-arranged-marriage/ Mehndiratta, B. Paul. 2007. â€Å"Arranged marriage, consanguinity and epilepsy. † Neurology Asia 2007. Accessed November 5, 2011 http://neurologyasia. rg/articles/20073_015. pdf Nita. 2007 â€Å"Divorce rates of the world† A Wide Angle View of India. April 4, 2007. Accessed November 4, 2011 http://nitawriter. wordpress. com/2007/04/04/divorce-rates-of-the-world/ Stritoff, Sheri and Bob. â€Å"Child Bride: The Problem of Early, Forced Marriage. † AboutMarriage. Accessed November 4, 2011http://marriage. about. com/od/arrangedmarriages/a/childbride. htm Tarabay, Jamie. â€Å"Arranged Marriage: Trapped Between Two Cultures. † NPR. Accessed November 6, 2011 http://www. npr. org/templates/story/story. php? storyId=95683604

Data Analysis Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Data Analysis - Coursework Example The APS is intended to be representative of the whole of the population of the UK. The population covered by the survey is all people resident in private households and young people living away from the parental home in student halls of residence or similar institution during term time. The survey covers a target sample of at least 875 economically active persons for each Unitary Authority (UA)/Local Area District (LAD), and at least 450 economically active persons in Greater London Boroughs. The number of jobseekers is derived from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS), which also contains data on jobseekers allowance claimants. The data was obtained from computer systems used to administer the benefits. Although the data downloaded covers the whole Great Britain, only figures relating to London were extracted for analysis. Both datasets were downloaded from government’s Neighbourhood Statistics website  http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk Selection Process The process of selecting the jobseeker’s allowance data is as follows: on the Neighborhood Statistics website, click on Topics, then Economic deprivation, then Jobseekers allowance claimants, choose the year and tick download on the right hand side, choose Microsoft Excel file. The file download is initiated. The process is repeated for all five years. For the unemployment data, click on topics and then proceed to Economic deprivation, Worklessness: economic activity, choose the time period and check download on the right hand side, choose Microsoft Excel file. The file download begins automatically. The process is repeated for all five years. Since the analysis only sampled data from cities in London, the findings may be skewed and hence not applicable to all other cities in the rest of Great Britain. However, one strength of the paper is that it uses data covering duration of five years and therefore takes account of any seasonal or periodic fluctuations. Objective This pa per will investigate the relationship between the number of unemployed persons and the number of persons claiming jobseekers’ allowance in London region. To ensure that eligible persons are included in the survey, data pertaining to persons aged 16-64 years only was used in the analysis. Types of analyses to be conducted Analyses of the data provided will begin with an exploratory analysis followed by in-depth statistical analyses which will act as confirmatory tests to any hypothesized relationships made in the first stage of analysis. Under exploratory analyses, descriptive statistics will be computed, a relationship will also be hypothesized using a scatterplot and bar graphs. In the second phase of analysis, the equation relating the two variables will be modeled. Correlation analysis will also be used to investigate the strength of the relationship observed above. A residual plot will be used to confirm the presence or absence of outliers, the plot will also indicate whe ther there were any particular areas where the model greatly under or over-predicted the relationship between unemployed persons and persons seeking employment1. Detailed analysis and conclusions will also be made using a regression model. Data collected from the five year period has been consolidated in to two variables: unemployed (Unemployed Persons Count) and jobseekers (Jobseekers Allowance Claimants). EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS Descriptives of the data is as shown: A plot for the individual years covered during the study is shown

Using E-book in higher education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Using E-book in higher education - Essay Example Different assessments that have been done in regards have supported Masrom’s piece of thought according to which normative beliefs and behavioral beliefs acts as a building block in terms of analyzing the certain action (Ros, 2004). Theory of Planned Behavior formulated as the addition of the Theory of Reasoned Action (Hashim & Adviser-Eisner, 2011). It deals with the consequences related attitude towards behavior and subjective norms along with the additional module of behavioral control that comprises the problem such as the lacking of control on the consciousness (Stone & Baker-Eveleth, 2013). Theory of planned behavior includes an array of intentions and behaviors. In the light TpB, it can be stated that, Perceived behavioral control significantly influence the decision making of an individual through behavioral intention (Eagly & Chaiken, 1993). Technology acceptance model was formulated by Davis in 1986 (Ajzen, 1991). It deals with the evaluation of the appropriateness of the certain Information System by analyzing the acceptance behavior of the target users, in order to make advancement and improvement which means to be equally acceptable and adequate for the users of different IT applications (Davis & Venkatesh, 2004). As according to the Tam model which summed up attitude in terms of the set of destructive and productive emotions of the person that generated as the result of performing a target behavior such the greater PU’s and PEOS’s that considerably have more positive impact in the mind of the end user (Davis & Venkatesh, 2004). Although, the Technology acceptance Model became modified in which attitude buildup became eliminated. After the elimination of the consequence of attitude from TAM, behavioral intention again embedded to be majorly influenced by two beliefs of the end user (Eckhardt, 2009). According to the TAM, behavioral Intentional extensively manipulated by means of perceived attitude (Chong, Lim & Ling, 2009). Due to

PROJECT MANAGEMENT - TASK 2 Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

PROJECT MANAGEMENT - TASK 2 Summary - Essay Example The roles of the team manager and those of the team tend to be different in each project, especially so in creative projects like this one. The current level of engagement with projects has fuelled concerns that Project Management (PM) is becoming an increasingly complex discipline. Lack of clarity is probably among the major causes why projects fail. This vagueness ultimately results in missed deadlines, confusion among team members and costs going way over the top. It was my job as team manager to confront and eliminate them. The problems were partly due to an improper understanding of what projects were. A project is a series of tasks executed as part of a temporary undertaking to help create a service or product, which is unique in nature. The endeavour is temporary owing to the fact that the team members will disperse and then be involved in other projects. The time bound nature of the project made it very critical that we had no cost overruns and I had to have an ongoing perspective on the planning and implementation. Any spillage of resources would have diluted the objective. This time around, I felt that the event we were involved with was vital in its outcome. The funds raised were to be directed for the construction of orphanages. Moreover, the project was our responsibility till the end. The connections to be made on the way were several in numbers making it necessary for us to be in control of the project from the beginning. Eventually these techniques, which I considered appropriate to the outcome, were accepted by a senior management team. The idea was to smoothly control the three elements of tasks, resources, and time. (Turner, 2000) The following sections are a critical look at the tools used: Value Tree or Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) In discussions with team members, I noticed that WBS as a monitoring tool was not taken seriously enough by those entrusted with project execution. However, I can confidently claim now that WBS aligned with Value Tree has contributed tremendously to our recent fundraiser music show staged for a charity. However, initially there were difficulties in perception and the following is a note on the progress to final adoption of this analytical process culminating in our huge success. (Stainton, 1999) The Problem Value Management was perceived by my team to be peripheral to the core activity. The technique is actually employed in the early stages of a project so that preparations lead to the proper

Women Rights Denial by Governments and Individuals Essay

Women Rights Denial by Governments and Individuals - Essay Example he Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was adopted by the General Assembly in 1979 by votes of 130 to none, with 10 abstentions At the special ceremony that took place at the Copenhagen Conference on 17 July 1980, 64 States signed the Convention and two States submitted their instruments of ratification. On 3 September 1981, 30 days after the twentieth member- State had ratified it, the Convention entered into force - faster than any previous human rights convention had done - thus bringing to a climax United Nations efforts to codify comprehensively international legal standards for women. [1] Its content is divided into four parts. The first part deals with the concept of human rights. It presents the evolution and expansion of this concept and its philosophical formulations and theoretical reflection on the nature and sources of human rights. International standards in the next two parts are grouped, first, from the point of view of categories of human rights: civil, political, economic, social and cultural, and then in relation to the protection of certain categories of vulnerable persons (women, children, minorities, indigenous people and migrant workers). [2] There has been a growing realization that the definition of "human rights" needs to be revised to fully include "women's rights" in it. The International Women's Conference in Beijing in 1995, was another landmark achievement in this direction. After much dispute and heated debate, the final program of action stated, "While the significance of national and religious particularities in various historical, cultural, and religious systems must be kept in mind, it is the duty of states regardless of their political, economic, and cultural systems to protect and promote all human... This essay describes the feminism and the fight for women's rights as an epic saga that is still happening today. Whatever success has been achieved has been purely by dint of perseverance on part of the feminists. The researcher gives his opinion on the topic and states that it is unfortunate that, at times, governments and individuals fail to acknowledge these rights, even in 21st century. In fact it has been justly argued that resolutions against whaling were passed more quickly and unanimously than resolutions for women’s rights. The researcher mentiones that feminists’ efforts to introduce a homogenous standard may be admirable, but may also be misplaced. It is a matter of debate that rights in one culture may be taken as oppression in another culture today. For example, even wearing a scarf is considered a religious obligation and a feminine trait in Muslim society but is considered persecution in Western society. Similarly wearing a skimpy bikini on the beach may give rise to a furor even in â€Å"conservative† Catholic communities. The invasion of â€Å"multiculturism†, that was described in the essay is also a force to contend with. To conclude, the researcher explores that many countries allow different communities living there to preserve their culture today. In such a situation present homogeneity may itself be an infringement on the cultural freedom of that community. A more pragmatic approach is required today when dealing with issues related to different cultures and religions.

Persuade your employer that you deserve a raise OR Persuade a family Essay

Persuade your employer that you deserve a raise OR Persuade a family member that the world today is a better than it was 50 years ago - Essay Example Not all people considered going to school a basic life requirement. Only a few people who were enlightened went to schools to gain knowledge. Let us look at our grand parents and some uncles and aunts for example. There is none we can talk of as an educated person, those who afforded to go to school got minor education and surrendered in the long run. The schools were also not developed such that they only had limited resources therefore offered little knowledge. People relied on the indigenous knowledge which though was effective to some extend, could not be applied to solving all of the issues the society faced. The society was so backward such that new advancements tools were only owned by the educated in the society, simply because they were the only ones who could operate them. Poverty for example, which is highly associated with lack of education, was part of the society whereby, to most people poverty was a norm. People only relied on the products of nature. Compare this scenario to the contemporary society where going to school is like a norm. Every individual in the present society is expected to have basic education. Some countries have even gone to the extent of providing free basic education to ensure every individual gets a chance of going to school. Laws have also been formulated to ensure people get educated. The modern schools also have resources that ensure students get quality education. Look at the current advancements whereby each day comes with its own technological advancement. Today things that were rare such as media tools are a thing of the past. You only choose to be poor since I believe every individual has his own ability to make money. For instance, according to the World Development report, knowledge is intangible, light and weightless. With this knowledge still, some people still living in poverty. This therefore means that knowledge is able to counter poverty,

Nursing research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 30

Nursing research - Essay Example On the hand, reading a report and critically assessing it will help an organization identify whether the research was evidence-based before utilizing the report. In effect, an organization will only implement a research report that was peer reviewed and its utilization will promote positive outcomes in an organization. The fundamental role of nursing research is to provide evidence-based practice that aims at improving the quality of care that an organization provided. However, improving the quality of care in a healthcare organization is only possible if an organization’s process of research utilization is in an approach that was both effective and efficient. To achieve a successful research utilization process, an organization should use the most effective research utilization model to turn the knowledge in research into practice. In line with this, nurses should identify a model that fit into an organization’s culture and structure in order to maximize the knowledge from research into practice. On the other hand, evidence based practice provide the approaches that the findings and knowledge from research will be utilized in an organization

Ground Conditions And Explanation of Implications For Design And Essay

Ground Conditions And Explanation of Implications For Design And Construction - Essay Example This paper approves that positions and heights for trees, hedges or shrubs within areas of shrinkable clay were noted too. Ponds, springs, and other waters positions were marked on the map of the site. Placing fill in the location has raised ground levels and this is evident due to features shown on the geological maps as well as aerial photographs, which were found to be missing on the ground. Previously filled areas were determined through comparisons between what appeared on the site and aerial photographs and ordnance survey maps. There were signs of mining within the area evidenced by presence of derelict/hummocky land, old mine buildings as well as infilling or spoil heaps. Slope angles were interpreted through material types underlying the site. Landslips on the other hand indicated terraced ground, poorly drained conditions along the hillsides. Geological maps have identified layers that contain minerals. This report makes a conclusion that direct investigation made it possible to obtain values for limitations defining the soil sufficiency characteristics for designing economical and safe foundations. The investigation was carried out keeping in mind the risks that could arise as a result of inadequate investigation especially with regard to ground behavior. The investigation has made available information in some cost effective means for new works engineering design so that construction costs may be reduced via economic foundation design, structural defects that could arise from unacceptable ground movements are eliminated, health hazards associated with contaminated land can be detected, unforeseen ground conditions claims are avoided, and foundations are prevented from chemical attack.

Criminal Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Criminal Justice - Essay Example The term 'punishment' within the realm of psychology has been defined and described by B.F. Skinner, a popular psychologist, as a type of reinforcement - the consequences of which makes a behavior less likely. It includes both positive as well as negative reinforcement. It is also defined as "affecting behavior by using unpleasant consequences" (Weseley and McEntarffer, 2010: 137). Psychologists over the years have identified three fundamental types of learning among individuals. These include classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning. Among these, the operant conditioning method of learning or reinforcing desirable behavior has been widely applied by the criminal justice systems across the world. Operant conditioning is different as compared to negative reinforcements since unlike the latter, operant conditioning targets the undesirable behavior (such as lying, stealing etc) and eliminates it by punishment (Levinson, 2002). Figure 1: The Operant condit ioning process Source: Vito and Maahs, 2011: 116 Within the field of criminal psychology, the consistency of punishment is given much more significance as compared to the severity of punishment, as it is regarded as highly effective in deterring criminal behavior among individuals (Vito and Maahs, 2011). Relationship to corrections: Punishments are known to be highly effective in drawing favorable responses from the criminals. Historically various forms of punishments such as fines, spankings, imprisonment, and other corporal punishments have been commonly implemented by criminal justice systems as a means to control behavior. According to psychologists punishments have the ability of significantly lowering the possibility of a response to occur again and hence are one of the widely accepted measures of corrections (Coon and Mitterer, 2008). Psychologists have observed through a series of experiments that criminals / individuals in general, tend to teach themselves to obey their con sciences through operant conditioning. It has been observed that criminals displayed weaker responses and higher likelihood to return to normal / acceptable behavior after receiving adverse punishments such as injections or shocks (Levinson, 2002). The psychology of criminal behavior is rooted in the fundamental principles of human behavior such as behavioral, social learning and cognitive psychology. Hence any form of punishment which targets individual behavior or aims to alter their behavioral patterns are known to generate favorable results. According to Spiegler and Gueveremont (1998) "behavior therapy arguably has the broadest and strongest empirical base of any form of psychotherapy". (qtd. in Tonry, 2011: 168) However despite the growing evidence regarding the effectiveness of punishments in deterring crime there is no significant relationship between the severity of punishment and seriousness of the crime committed. It has been observed that criminals charged with relativel y lower offences have been confined to longer terms of imprisonment (Clear, Reisig and Cole, 2012). Critical evaluation: The corrections policy and criminal justice system in general have significantly changed over the years. The highly severe forms of punishme

The African-American Odyssey Essay Example for Free

The African-American Odyssey Essay The emancipation of the African slave who was now disconnected from their traditions and way of life after nearly 300 years, is seemingly a great gush from the dam to the ebbs and flows of the struggle. The end of slavery as we know it, presented a ball of mixed emotions among the nation; North and SOUTH. Some slaves were grossly ecstatic to be free. For example, when a slave girl named Caddy, from Goodman, Mississippi found she was free, went to her mistress, flipped up her dress and told her Kiss my ass! On the contrary, some slaves were apprehensive of being free. For example, one elderly slave woman reportedly said, I ain no free nigger! I is got a marster and mistiss! Dee right dar in de great house. Ef you don believe me, you go dar an see. Though most slaves were detached from their families, many managed to regroup and find their love ones after their emancipation and constructed close knit families. Land was an viable means of survival in the minds of newly freedmen and the government was eager to deem lands to the ex-slaves . On January 16, 1865, General William T. Sherman told the freedmen that they will receive the land they were in search of. They were granted the head of each family would receive possessory title to forty acres of land. Sherman also gave the use of Army mules, thus giving rise to the slogan, Forty acres and a mule. Similarly in 1862 the Union military set aside land in Port Royal, South Carolina, which became known as the Port Royal experiment. The freedmen bureau was created to aid newly freed slaves in the transition from bondage to freedom in 1865. After Lincolns assassination the succession of his Vice president, Andrew Johnson, to the presidency meant that the white owners of the lands, that were given to the freedmen, would be returned. Sharecropping became a sort of ebb in the river of the African-American progression as far as freedom was concerned. Presented as labor contracts by white land owners, the institution of slavery was extended under a cloud of debt. In which, the black family, oft times became debtors due to the lack of honesty on the account of their white lender. Aside from family, among African-Americans, the black church became the most important institution. Not only did it fill deep spiritual and inspirational needs, it offered enriching music, provided charity and compassion to those in need, developed community and political leaders, and was free of white supervision. With the end of slavery, blacks who then had to attend services with white parishioners who treated them as second class Christians, could now organize and attend their own churches. The advent of the black church definitely brought about a flow in the river of struggle for African-Americans. Education was another flow in the river of struggle and a critical means of survival amongst people of color. It coincided alongside freedom. All who were versed in education of all sorts were summoned to teach the freedmen and their children. Teachers from all walks showed. Classes were held in churches, old slave markets, stables, taverns, homes, and former slave cabins. Funding came from various religious and political organizations and the Freedmens Bureau. Although white teachers helped a bit, black teachers were praised throughout the negro community because, as Rev. Richard H. Cain said , We must take into our own hands the education of our race Honest, dignified whites may teach ever so well, but it has not the effect to exalt the black mans opinion of his own race, because they have always been in the habit of seeing white men in honored positions, and respected. Most colleges and universities for blacks taught elementary and secondary level curriculum. The introduction of the historically black colleges and universities was formed from the idea of a higher education for people of color. In the midst of the newfound freedom, religious organization, and education of Negroes which was an obvious flow, a reoccurring ebb presented itself in the form of violence. Justice for the black man was never considered in those times. Thousands of innocent African-Americans were heinously murdered without a single conviction of a white perpetrator whom committed the acts. Atop the murders, black towns, businesses, churches, and schools were destroyed at the hands of the angry white southerners. The Failure of Reconstruction For the first time ever in history, a group of black men had concurrently became politicians. They were joined by the carpetbaggers of the north and the scalawags of the south in the Republican constituency. Of the 1,000 men elected as delegates to the ten state conventions, 265 were black. Collectively, they drafted new, striking constitutions that, unlike the previous constitutions, allowed all men to vote; even the ex-Confederates. Although, the Republicans displayed compassion upon their dealings with their opponents, the unruly Southern ego rose once more against the ratification of the new constitutions. In due course, the majority did manage to ratify and in each state, black men were elected to offices. As time progressed, nearly 1,500 black men were in office around the throughout the south. Among those were the likes of Blanche K. Bruce, Hiram R. Revels, Joseph Rainey, Jonathan J. Wright, Francis L. Cardozo, Robert Smalls, and Ferdinand Havis. This was a flow that led to inevitable ebb in the river of fight for African-Americans. That ebb presented itself in the form of the gradual failure of reconstruction. Issues such as education, social welfare, civil rights, land, and businesses plagued the Republican frame of thought daily. The black leaders efforts to facilitate education throughout the black and poor white communities failed overall. Lack of funds is the greatest blame for the inconsistency. At the time, there were no segregation laws, but whites refused to let their children go to school with blacks. Though a valid effort amongst African-Americans was given toward civil rights, they did not receive the respect that every other law abiding citizen received. For example, they were not accommodated at hotels and on public transportation, nor were they served as paying customers at various businesses. The blacks who worked for the white landowners were being cheated daily as if they were still in captivity. White employers would either fire the worker before the harvest or make up outlandish fees and debts. Some just didnt pay at all! Black leaders grew tired of the robbery and made laws to eliminate such happenings. The distribution of land amongst landless, yeomen, farmers didnt happen in any other state but South Carolina. Over fourteen thousand black families and a few white families, received land. Black businesses, unfortunately, did not and could not flourish due to the lack of funds during the expanding of the railroad. Other businesses made handsome amounts of profit but the African-American business owners could not cash in. Black politicians laid the foundation for public assistance, education, criminal justice reform but, could not do anything that directly dealt with their people. Reason being, was that they were the minority in the Republican party and in fact, were not allowed to ratify their own agenda. Besides, they couldnt agree on most things because they came from different walks of life. Bickering throughout the Republican party sparked a high turnover in political leadership and the loss of that very economic security? This made for inexperienced leadership and added to Republican woes. Opposition came to the party in various ways; Such as, the conservative Democrats who continued to heckle blacks who in any way participated in the political process and the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan, was founded in Pulaski, Tennessee in 1866, by ex-confederate soldiers who were hell-bent on eradicating and/ or terrorizing anyone who didnt submit to southern culture. They used any means necessary to remove blacks from politics. The Enforcement Act of 1870 was passed to prohibit Klansmen from wearing their regalia in public and protected the civil rights of black citizens. The following year the Ku Klux Klan Act was passed and it made the interference of a persons right to vote, hold office, jury duty and equal protection a federal offense. The fifteenth amendment was passed in 1869, and later ratified in 1870. It clearly expressed the right to vote to all citizens but failed to address the literacy tests, property possession rule, or the poll tax that continued to plague voters. Radical Republicans and northern whites alike grew exhausted with the dependency of blacks, (as they saw it) and looked upon them as unfit to be involved in the political system. They thought that reconstruction had been a mistake. The Freedmens Bank was founded in 1865 and done well until the white board of directors foolishly invested in Washington, D. C. real estate. The Panic of 1873 brought about a significant loss in unsecured railroad loans. As a result, the bank closed in 1874. The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was an act of good intentions, yet it was ruled unconstitutional by U. S. Supreme Court Justice Joseph Bradley who, wrote that the Fourteenth Amendment protected black people from discrimination by states but not by private businesses. The end of Reconstruction was as brutal and contentious as the beginning. Blacks refused to vote in response to the terrorism inflicted upon them by the southern Democrats. The withdrawal of the federal troops that were to protect the rights of colored people left the black citizens with no means of defense and they therefore had to bow down to the numerous massacres that were to occur. The compromise of 1877, in which, Samuel J. Tilden and Rutherford B. Haynes, ran for the presidency, brought about more violence towards blacks and grew worse as time passed.

A Remote Desktop Application For Android

A Remote Desktop Application For Android The aim of this project is to develop a simple-to-use remote desktop application which enables users to remote view contents of their desktop and view, create, edit and delete files and folders remotely. The application runs on a portable device (such as a cell-phone or tablet) which fully supports the Android mobile platform and is equipped with features like WiFi, touchscreen, document editor etc. An important goal of this endeavour is to keep the application user-friendly and easy-to-use. The application uses the same protocol as Microsoft Windows for file sharing. Thus, implementing and using the application in a domain environment where each user has access to specific files and folders makes sense. This also enables true mobility and control over the user-account in a university or office setting. In conclusion, the application works perfectly when the target remote machine is in the same network as the mobile device. For accessing a domain share, the device needs to be connected to the domain via VPN (Virtual Private Network). The application is expected to work in the same fashion with a VPN like it does over an actual network. Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Motivation In computing, the term remote desktop refers to software or an operating system characteristic which allows applications, often including graphical applications, to be run remotely on a server while being displayed locally (1). In practise, the term remote desktop has a very broad meaning which could pertain to any of the specific uses of this feature. Also, each implementation of programs that enable remote access is different as the services provided by each of them vary. Applications of remote desktop are numerous and depend on the setting in which it is used. An important use is in the domain environment where a central server machine (or group of servers) controls all the other clients that are connected to it. In such a situation, certain programs which need a lot of resources are run on the server and are accessed by the client computers via remote sharing. This approach eliminates the need for multiple licenses or expensive client machines. Network administrators can also use remote desktop to maintain and when required, troubleshoot a remote client machine. This reduces the need for a large number of technical support staff (2). Remote desktop also serves as a handy utility for the end-user. It allows an employee to work from home by making available the same set of software and settings which are provided at office. A student can access all their important files and documents stored at the university computer without being physically present anywhere near the campus. A novice user can get help with installation of particular software remotely from an expert (3). To use remote desktop, one needs specialised software. Though there are a plethora of remote desktop clients available for the desktop on all major operating systems, the options for mobile platforms are quite scarce. This is majorly due to a variety of operating systems in use and restricted resources available in mobile devices. In addition to it, the few usable solutions are either quite expensive or are no longer supported. This prompted me to take up the challenge of developing a practical, easy-to-use remote desktop application for the ultra-portable platform which needs no technical know-how to setup and run. Chapter 2 Literature Survey 2.1 The Android Platform Today, there exist a number of operating platforms for mobile devices. A majority of them are proprietary and are adopted by a handful of device manufacturers. Thus, developing for such platforms would provide little in way of commercial value to the application. Also, it will be available to only a small section of smartphone users. Porting the app to other mobile platforms is also not an alternative as this would require drastic changes in its code which would require additional man hours. An exception to the above mentioned problem is the Android platform for mobile devices. Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware  [1]  and key applications (4). Android was originated by a group of companies known as the Open Handset Alliance, led by Google. Today, many more companies which involve cellular service providers, OEMs and developers have invested in Android and have adopted it for their products (5). As can be seen from the following figure, the architecture of the platform is no different from traditional PC architectures. Figure 1: The Android Architecture (Source: Wikimedia Commons) The lowest layer of the architecture consists of the Linux kernel which has all the drivers needed to communicate with the hardware. This layer is also called the Hardware abstraction layer. The layer above it has android core libraries written in C/C++. It also has the Dalvik virtual Machine which provides inter-process abstraction. On top of the libraries is the API  [2]  layer which enables component re-use and better application design. The topmost layer has all core applications which ship with the OS. An important attribute of the Android platform is that it is open-source. Thus, its source code is freely available which enables developers to use readily available APIs for developing robust applications quickly. Also, as the system requirements of Android are quite less, it is suitable for mid-range to ultra-high-end devices. As a result, Android can be seen in mobile phones, e-readers, PDAs and even netbooks (6). There is also an active developers community for Android which provides support via e-mail and web forums. Thus, it is not hard to see why Android provides an ideal platform for application development. Figure 2: A typical home-screen for Android devices (Source: developers.android.com) The screenshot above shows a home screen of an android device. This device is a mobile phone and thus has applications such as contacts, phone and messaging on the home screen. A variety of tablet computers, electronic book readers and netbook computers also use android and have icons relevant apps on the home screen. The white bar on the top is the notification bar which works the same way as the notification area in Microsoft windows. It displays battery level, signal strength, time and current network connection. 2.2 Android Application basics Applications for the android platform are written in the JAVA programming language. For deploying an application to a device, the java code is first compiled and then bundled into an android package which is in the .apk format. The latter operation is done by the Android Asset Packaging Tool or aapt. In Android, every application runs in its own Linux process. Android starts the process when any of the applications code needs to be executed, and shuts down the process when its no longer needed and system resources are required by other applications. Each process has its own virtual machine (VM), so application code runs in isolation from the code of all other applications. No other application is aware about the existence of the other. By default, each application is assigned a unique Linux user ID. Permissions are set so that the applications files are visible only to that user and only to the application itself. 2.3 Application components A unique feature of the android platform is that each application can use a feature provided by some other application without having to actually implement it. This encourages code-reuse and saves precious man hours spent in development. Unlike applications on most other systems, Android applications dont have a single entry point for everything in the application (no main() function, for example). Rather, they have essential components that the system can instantiate and run as needed. There are four types of components: 2.3.1 Activities An activity is a visual representation for any task that application intends to fulfil. For example, an activity could be a list of images in a gallery, a menu with settings for the user or a phonebook with contacts. An activity can spawn another activity whenever an event occurs. In the phonebook activity, when a user clicks on a contact, another activity is created which allows the user to either call or send a text message to that contact. Each activity has a view associated with it. This view provides visual elements such as text fields, buttons, checkboxes etc. These elements might have some listeners associated with them which trigger an action when interacted with. 2.3.2 Services A service might not be visible to a user but it runs indefinitely in the background and could be used by an activity. For example, a service might play background music as the user attends to other matters, or it might fetch data over the network or calculate something and provide the result to activities that need it. A prime example is a media player playing songs from a play list. The player application would probably have one or more activities that allow the user to choose songs and start playing them. However, the music playback itself would not be handled by an activity because users will expect the music to keep playing even after they leave the player and begin something different. To keep the music going, the media player activity could start a service to run in the background. The system would then keep the music playback service running even after the activity that started it leaves the screen. Like activities and the other components, services run in the main thread of the application process. So that they wont block other components or the user interface, they often spawn another thread for time-consuming tasks (like music playback). 2.3.4 Broadcast receivers A broadcast receiver is a component that does nothing but receives and reacts to broadcast announcements. These announcements can be anything that are meant to inform user about occurrence of an event such as email arrival, low battery indication, change of track in the music player and so on. Applications can also initiate broadcasts for example, to let other applications know that some data has been downloaded to the device and is available for them to use. An application can have any number of broadcast receivers to respond to any announcements it considers important. Broadcast receivers do not display a user interface. However, they may start an activity in response to the information they receive, or they may use the Notification Manager to alert the user. Notifications can get the users attention in various ways flashing the backlight, vibrating the device, playing a sound, and so on. They typically place a persistent icon in the status bar, which users can open to get the message. 2.3.5 Content providers A content provider makes a specific set of the applications data available to other applications. They basically provide for interprocess communication. The content provider extends the ContentProvider base class to implement a standard set of methods that enable other applications to retrieve and store data of the type it controls. However, applications do not call these methods directly. Rather they use a ContentResolver object and call its methods instead. A ContentResolver can talk to any content provider to manage communication with processes. Whenever theres a request that should be handled by a particular component, Android makes sure that the application process of the component is running, starting it if necessary, and that an appropriate instance of the component is available, creating the instance if it is necessary. 2.4 A typical Android project directory structure Figure 1 shows the directory structure of an android project named filegetter. Here, the first folder src holds the java source files for the project. These files contain actual java code which is written by the developers. In this case, the source files are held in a package named hardik.test.browse. The package helps to keep the source files together allowing easy access to data and variable within the project. Figure 3: Directory structure of an Android project The next folder is gen which consists of auto generated java files. These files are generated when the project is build/compiled. Information about variables, strings and layouts are stored in these files. Android 1.6 is the build of the android platform against which the application is being created. This is important as each build has some special classes which may not be present in an earlier one. Referenced Libraries consists of list of all third party or external libraries used for our project. In our case, it will consist of the JCIFS library (explained later). The assests folder in generally unused and it may hold required files if needed. The res folder has drawable, layout and values subfolders. Drawable consists of icons and other graphical elements of the application and is divided into three subfolders according to resolution of target device. The layout folder holds .xml layout files which decide elements like button, text box, list etc. for the application. The values folder is used for providing id for different components of the application. The AndroidManifest.xml is an important element of an android project. In this file, all the activities and services of the application are described. Other elements such as application permissions for the application are also described. Finally, the default.properties file has an entry for the build of target devices for which the application is being developed. 2.5 Android in the Market According to a May report by market research group NDP, the Android operating system performed quite well in the first quarter (Q1) of 2010, moving past Apple to take the number-two position among smartphone operating systems. NPDs wireless market research reveals that based on unit sales to consumers last quarter the Android operating system moved into second position at 28% behind Research In Motions Blackberry OS (36%) and ahead of Apples OS (21%) (7). These figures indicate a rise in popularity in the android platform. Also a large range of available handsets means that consumers will be able to choose according to their needs and budgets. This increase in market share also means that more developers will be willing to develop for Android making it a competitive, mainstream product. 2.6 Remote Desktop Implementation Currently, there exist a variety of applications for PC which use either proprietary or generic/open-source protocols for remote desktop implementation. All of these applications are based on the server-client model where the server side of the software operates on the target machine and the client application is run on the remote host. Either of the machines may function as client or server provided both of them are equipped with required software. Figure 4: Implementation of a traditional client-server model (Source: acm.org) Various protocols can be used for remote access. Each of these provides a specific set of functionalities that may be common to another protocol or unique to that particular protocol. Listed below are some of the protocols used for remote access and file sharing. These are widely used in several desktop clients in the market today. 2.6.1 RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) It is a proprietary protocol developed by Microsoft which provides remote display and input capabilities over network connections for windows-based applications running on a server (8). The RDP is encapsulated within the TCP layer and uses separate virtual channels for carrying data, licensing information, encrypted information and so on. All versions of windows after windows XP support Remote Desktop via RDP. But only the professional and ultimate versions come with the Remote Desktop Server program which enables a user to share their screen (9). 2.6.2 RFB (Remote Framebuffer) Protocol RFB is a simple protocol for remote access to graphical user interfaces. Because it works at the framebuffer level it is applicable to all windowing systems and applications, including Linux, Windows and Macintosh. It is primarily used by the VNC (Virtual Network Computing) software and its derivatives. By default, it uses TCP port 5900 for the client and port 5500 for the server (10). 2.6.3 SMB (Server Message Block) The Server Message Block (SMB) Protocol is a network file sharing protocol which allows a client application in a network to read and write files on and request services from the server on the same network. The SMB protocol requires a secure and encrypted authentication method and is thus more secure than other file sharing methods. Microsoft provides an SMB client and server with its Windows operating system. For Linux based systems, a utility called Samba is freely available for using the protocol (11). Chapter 3 Design One of the major hurdles faced in designing a remote access client is to decide upon the protocol to be used. Out of the available ones mentioned before, the RDP and SMB protocols allow screen-capturing of the remote machine onto the client device. This allows the user to interact with the desktop in real-time. Both these protocols have been implemented successfully in a variety of programs for all three popular (Windows, Mac OS and Linux) desktop platforms. Upon deciding the project, the intent was to use one of these protocols for the application. But the following difficulties were experienced during the development phase. 3.1 RDP and RFB Implementation issues 3.1.1 Absence of library classes While implementing either RDP or RFB, one can use the Robot class present in Java which can mimic the mouse, simulate keyboard interactions and capture the screen of a remote host over the network (12). This class is unfortunately absent in android and thus cannot be used. This makes it difficult to perform the above mentioned functions in android as no alternative classes exist. Current RFB and RDP implementations on Android have made use of similar projects on the desktop environment by forking  [3]  the source code from these projects. These existing projects use external libraries without proper documentation and at times are written in a non-java programming language. Thus, comprehending the original code and then forking it would take a lot more time than the projects duration. 3.1.2 Need for server side installation Both the protocols (RFB and RDP) required a server side program running on the target machine. This program is bundled with server editions of most operating systems but require purchase on all other editions. Also, there may be compatibility issues if the server is running a RDP implementation and the device has a client using the RFB protocol. This will result into failed communication between the server and the client. Due to the aforementioned issues, remote access will be implemented by using the SMB protocol. 3.2 Benefits of the SMB protocol An enhanced version of the SMB called CIFS  [4]  (Common Internet File Sharing) has been in place since Windows 2000 and it provides a host of features when compared to other such protocols (13). 3.2.1 Greater accessibility The SMB protocol for resource sharing has been used by Microsoft for their operating systems since Windows 95. In a domain environment, SMB is used to provide access to relevant resources to every user. In Linux too, a free utility called Samba which uses the SMB protocol, comes with most distributions. Thus, out-of-box functionality can be provided to any client requiring remote access. 3.2.2 Added security CIFS provides flexibility to allow anonymous transfers as well as secure, authenticated access to resources. Policies can also be easily managed and changed whenever required 3.2.3 Support for slow connection Access to shared resources and transfer of resources is also supported on slower connections. Thus, using a 3G or EDGE connection from a device will not be an issue while accessing remote files. 3.2.4 Performance and scalability CIFS servers are highly integrated with the operating system. Thus they function as part of the OS and not third party programs. This guarantees maximum system performance at all times (13). 3.3 SMB Authentication Method Authentication over SMB occurs mainly through the NTLM (NT Lan Manager) that works on systems using windows and on Linux/Unix distributions via the Samba server (14). NTLM is a challenge-response authentication protocol which uses three messages to authenticate a client in a connection oriented environment, and a fourth additional message if integrity is desired (15). The following figure shows exchange of messages between the client and server during authentication. Figure 5: Message sequence to authenticate an SMB session As seen in the above figure, the client negotiates protocol-specific options using the SMB_COM_NEGOTIATE request and the server replies with similar response messages as shown by (1) and (2) respectively. The client then sends an SMB_COM_SESSION_SETUP_ANDX request message. In cases where NTLM authentication is negotiated, within this message an NTLMNEGOTIATE_MESSAGE is embedded. The server responds with an SMB_COM_SESSION_SETUP_ANDX response message within which an NTLM CHALLENGE_MESSAGE is embedded. The message includes an 8-byte random number, called a challenge that the server generates and sends in the ServerChallenge field of the message. The client then extracts the ServerChallenge field from the NTLM CHALLENGE_MESSAGE and sends an NTLM AUTHENTICATE_MESSAGE to the server (embedded in an SMB_COM_SESSION_SETUP_ANDX request message). If the challenge and the response prove that the client knows the users password, the authentication succeeds and the clients security context is now established on the server. To acknowledge this, the server sends a success message embedded in an SMB_COM_SESSION_SETUP_ANDX response message. 3.4 SMB Packet Exchange The following lists an example of a packet exchange between a client and a server via the SMB protocol (16). The client and the server establish a NetBIOS  [5]  connection. The client and server negotiate the Microsoft SMB Protocol dialect. The client logs on to the server. The client connects to a share on the server. The client opens a file on the share. The client reads from the file The connection being full-duplex, file transfer can occur from both ends. Chapter 4 Implementation 4.1 Flowchart In any application, the flow diagram is an important figure that helps one visualize the interactions a user might have with the application and the possible outcomes of these interactions. Figure 6: Flowchart 4.2 UML Use Case diagram Use cases are used to identify and partition system functionality. They separate the system into actors and use cases. Actors represent roles that can are played by users of the system. Those users can be humans, other computers, pieces of hardware, or even other software systems. The only criterion is that they must be external to the part of the system being partitioned into use cases. These actors can interact with the system in a variety of ways which create various outputs. The outputs may be for the users or for other components of the system. Figure 7: Use cases The figure above shows a users interaction with the application. The user can access the Remote resources provided they are logged in to the remote share. Similarly, they can download a file to the local resources only if the file is present in the remote share. Chapter 5 Results 5.1 Experimental Setup For evaluating the results, the application was used on an android handset with Android platform version 2.2. The remote server was a laptop running windows 7. Files and folders were shared using the SMB protocol with mandatory authentication to all shared resources. The target machine and the mobile device were both connected to the same wireless network. 5.2 Application Screenshots Figure 8: On Start-up As seen above, the user is presented with a tabbed view with local file system selected. Different icons are used for various datatypes. Figure 9: Local Photo folder Seen above is the photo folder located on the memory card of the device. The two green arrows on the top represent up and back buttons which are used for navigation. Figure 10: Login screen Login screen on clicking the Remote tab. Figure 11: Unsuccessful login (pop-up appears) Figure 12: Remote download Downloading remote file to memory card on click. Figure 13: Operations on remote file Bibliography 1. Remote Desktop Software. Wikipedia. [Online] [Cited: 25 June 2010.] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_desktop_software. 2. Remote desktop. TopBits Tech Community. [Online] [Cited: 25 June 2010.] http://www.topbits.com/remote-desktop.html. 3. 5 Best Remote Desktop and administration application. TechieZone. [Online] [Cited: 25 June 2010.] http://techiezone.in/reviews/5-best-remote-desktop-and-administration-application/. 4. About the Android Open Source Project. Android. [Online] [Cited: 26 June 2010.] http://source.android.com/about/index.html. 5. Philosophy and Goals. Android. [Online] [Cited: 26 June 2010.] http://source.android.com/about/philosophy.html. 6. List of Android Devices. Wikipedia. [Online] [Cited: 26 July 2010.] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Android_devices. 7. Android shakes up U.S. smartphone market. NDP. [Online] [Cited: 7 July 2010.] http://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_100510.html. 8. MSDN Remote Desktop Protocol. MSDN. [Online] [Cited: 4 July 2010.] http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa383015.aspx. 9. Understanding the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). Microsoft Support. [Online] [Cited: 5 July 2010.] http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q186607. 10. Richardson, Tristan. The RFB Protocol Version 3.8 (2009-11-24). RealVNC. [Online] [Cited: 10 July 2010.] http://www.realvnc.com/docs/rfbproto.pdf. 11. Server Message Block Protocol. Search Networking. [Online] [Cited: 25 July 2010.] http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci214214,00.html. 12. Java Remote Desktop Administration. The Code Project. [Online] [Cited: 21 July 2010.] http://www.codeproject.com/KB/IP/RemoteAdminJava.aspx. 13. CIFS. Protocol Base. [Online] [Cited: 20 July 2010.] http://www.protocolbase.net/protocols/protocol_CIFS.php. 14. Integrating additional services. Samba.org. [Online] [Cited: 2 August 2010.] http://www.samba.org/samba/docs/man/Samba-Guide/DomApps.html. 15. Microsoft NTLM. MSDN (Microsoft Developers Network). [Online] [Cited: 5 August 2010.] http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa378749(VS.85).aspx. 16. Microsoft SMB protocol packet exchange scenario. Microsoft Developers Network (MSDN). [Online] [Cited: 10 August 2010.] http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa365236(v=VS.85).aspx.

Origin Of Cross Cultural Communication English Language Essay

Origin Of Cross Cultural Communication English Language Essay If I have to go and work in Japan, I will have to change and adapt myself to the culture of Japan. But in the course of this adaptation process, I will face many problems, the most important of them being a communication problem. Such communication problems caused by a difference in cultures i.e. mine and Japans, are known as problems in cross cultural communication. Meaning of Cross Cultural Communication Cross cultural communication can be defined as a study of how people belonging to different cultural backgrounds communicate with each other, in ways that are both similar and different. It can also be defined as a study of how people endeavour to communicate across different cultures. Cross cultural communication is also sometimes referred to as inter cultural communication. Origin of cross cultural communication In earlier times, all countries used to just strive for self sufficiency. There was no concept of trading between countries and even if there was some trading, it was done by the traders at an individual level. But advancements in economic growth and technological developments led to breaking down of cultural barriers as businesses looked for ways to expand and started seeking new markets. And it was this need for expansion that gave birth to globalisation. Globalisation refers to integrating our countrys economy with the world economy. In layman terms, globalisation means combining the markets of the different countries and making the world one huge market. Thus, people of different countries have access to products from all over the world. Globalisation was very beneficial for companies also as it gave them new markets to sell their products. Companies opened their branches in other countries. However, with the process of globalisation leading to an increase in global trade, it was impossible to avoid the meeting, conflict and blending of the different cultures. In any organisation, irrespective of what it does (construction, public relations, transportation, production and distribution of beverages, etc.), communication is the most essential ingredient for the survival of the business. People from different cultures found it difficult to communicate not only because of the language barriers but also because of the difference in their cultural styles. e.g. in independent cultures like Western Europe, USA and Canada, an independent figure of self is dominant. People think of themselves as being independent and distinct from others as well as from the environment. However, in interdependent cultures like Southern Europe, Asian and Latin American countries, an interdependent figure of self is dominant. People are more dependent on each other and the environment. There is a greater emphasis on the inter relatedness of the self to others and to the environment. The self is meaningful primarily in the context of social relationships, duties and roles. In some ways, cultural difference is a bigger challenge than the language barrier. Culture can be defined as a way of life of a group of people, their values, beliefs, behaviours, the symbols that they accept unconsciously and that are passed along from one generation to the next. Culture provides people with a way of thinking, it tells them how to see, hear and interpret different words. Thus, even though two people may be speaking the same language, the words used in it may have different meanings for them both. With the cultural differences making their presence felt and the need for translators rising, the chances of the occurrence of miscommunication also increase. Thus, the need to understand these cultural difference has become even greater. Only after crossing these cultural bridges can we hope to achieve effective communication. Hence, there is a need to study cross cultural communication. Need for Cross Cultural Communication Communication is a necessity anywhere and everywhere. The need for cross cultural communication is increasing every day. Given below are some reasons as to why cross cultural communication is so important nowadays Exchange of ideas Communication, as we all know, is the process of exchange of ideas and information between two or more people. Cross cultural communication just adds culture to communication. People from different cultures need a way to communicate their ideas, feelings, etc. to each other. Cross cultural communication provides a means for effective communication between people belonging to different cultures. The Same words with different meanings As mentioned above, two people might be speaking the same language but the meaning of the words might be different to both of them. e.g. in English, the word Mansion means a big house or a castle but in Japanese mansion means an apartment or a condominium. Also, Claim in English means to state something but in Japanese, it means to complain. So, when a Japanese says that he wants to make a claim, it does not mean he wants to make a statement but that he wants to make a complaint about something. Thus, an understanding of the different cultures is necessary to achieve effective cross cultural communication. Avoid Miscommunication It is imperative to learn the correct meanings of the different words and to understand the different cultures so as to avoid miscommunication of any kind. Miscommunication can cause many problems and conflicts between two communicating parties. e.g. In English, gift means present but in German, gift means Poison. So, if we say that we are giving a gift to a German, he might get very offended thinking that we are giving him poison. So, for effective communication, it is necessary to have an understanding of the languages of the different cultures. Make people feel valued When we show people that we know and understand their cultures, they are immediately impressed and feel valued. They understand that we have made an effort to understand their culture. This encourages them to try and return the favour by trying to understand our culture. e.g. In India, people greet each other by folding their hands and saying Namaste, a Hindi word which people use to greet the soul of the other person. On the other hand, the Japanese greet each other by bowing to each other as a sign of giving respect to others. Another example of diversity in cultures is that of the Navajo people. They live in Latin America. To them, touching someone else without their permission means we are insulting the person. Thus, they do not like to shake hands when greeting other people but instead just fold their hands and greet others. But in countries like UK and USA, shaking hands is considered to be totally normal and is done to greet everyone. Interdisciplinary Orientation of Cross Cultural Communication The main aim of cross cultural communication is to bring together relatively unrelated areas like cultural anthropology and established areas of communication. Its core function is to establish an understanding of how people from different cultures can communicate effectively with each other. It also tries to give some guidelines, by following which people can achieve effectiveness in cross cultural communication. Cross cultural communication, like many other scholarly fields, is composed of parts of various other fields. Some of these fields are psychology, business communication, study of different cultures, sociology and anthropology. The field of cross cultural communication has also moved toward the treatment of relations belonging to different ethnicities and the study of strategies used by co-cultural populations to communicate with each other i.e. communication strategies that are used to communicate with the mainstream populations. The study of languages other than our native language not only helps us understand what we have in common with each other as human beings but also assists us in understanding the diversity (and the reasons for it) which underlies not only the languages that we use, but also the means of organizing and constructing knowledge. Also it shows us the many, different realities in which we all live and interact with each other. This understanding has profound implications on the development of a critical awareness of our social relationships. Understanding these social relationships and the way other cultures work lays the groundwork of successful business efforts in this age of globalisation. Language socialization can be defined as the investigation of how language both creates and hypothecates anew, social relations in the context of culture. It is imperative that the speaker understands the grammar of the language that he is speaking, as well as how elements of the language situated in a socially acceptable manner in order to achieve competence in communication. Human experience derives relevance from the culture in which it is obtained, so elements of language also derive their relevance from culture. An individual must make a careful consideration of the semantics and the evaluation of sign language so as to compare the various cross-cultural standards of communication. However, there are several potential problems that are faced by people while participating in language socialization. Sometimes people can indulge in over-generalization i.e. label cultures with subjective and stereotypical characterizations. Another primary concern with making a record of alternative cultural norms is that no social actor uses language in the exact way as has been recorded (as per the normative characterizations). Cross cultural communication provides a methodology for studying how an individual uses language and other semantic activity to use and create new models of conduct and how this varies from the already recorded / documented cultural norms. Aspects of Cross Cultural Communication The aspects o cross cultural communication educate us about the various parameters that may be perceived differently by people belonging to different cultures. By keeping these parameters in mind, the chances of miscommunication can be minimised. These parameters are as follows :- Context Context is the most important dimension of culture. It is also very difficult to define. It was Edward T. Hall, an anthropologist, who first put forth the ideology of context in culture. He defined context as the stimuli or environment or the ambience surrounding it. Depending on how much a culture relies on these three (stimuli, environment, ambience surrounding it), he divided this context into two main groups :- Low Context Cultures High Context Cultures Low Context Cultures These assume that the individuals must be given a lot of background information as they know very little about what is told or being told to them. High Context Cultures These assume that the individual has to be given very little background information as he already possesses adequate knowledge about the subject. Non Verbal, Oral and Written The major factor behind improvement of cross cultural communication is paying more attention to specific areas of communication so as to enhance the effectiveness of the same. These specific areas have been broken down into three sub categories Non-Verbal Contact Oral Contact Written Contact Non-Verbal Contact This includes eye contact, facial expressions, use of space, etc Communication through body movement is known as Kinesics. The two most prominent ways of communication through Kinesics are facial expressions and eye contact. Facial expressions are a language unto themselves and are universal to all cultures. Our facial expressions can tell other people whether we are happy, sad, confused, etc. Irrespective of the culture, the facial expressions of a person for expressing these emotions, essentially remains the same. Eye contact, on the other hand, plays a key role in setting the tone between two individuals. Its meaning differs greatly in different cultures. In Western Europe and USA, eye contact conveys honesty and interest in what the other person is saying. People who avoid eye contact while speaking are thought to be lying, withholding information or lacking in self confidence. However, in Africa, Middle East and Asian counties, maintaining eye contact is interpreted as being disrespectful and / or challenging ones authority. People who only briefly make eye contact are thought to be courteous and respectful. Non verbal communication is also composed of our gestures. These gestures can be divided into five sub categories :- Emblems Illustrators Regulators Affect Displays Adaptors Emblems These refer to sign language (such as the Thumbs Up sign which is one of the most recognized symbols for all is good). Illustrators These mimic what we speak (e.g. showing how much time is left by holding up a particular number of fingers) and are sometimes used in place of verbal speech. Emblems and illustrators are the easiest ways of non verbal communication. Regulators These provide a way of conveying meaning through gestures (e.g. raising up ones hand indicates that one has some doubt(s) about what has just been said). These are more complicated than emblems and illustrators since the same regulator can have different meanings in different cultures (e.g. making a circle with ones hand in UK means OK but in Japan, this gesture is used as a symbol for money, in France, it conveys the notion of worthlessness and in Brazil, it is taken as an insult. http://www.1000ventures.com/design_elements/selfmade/ccd_example_ok-gesture.gif Affect Displays These reveal emotions such as happiness (a smile) or sadness (crying, lips trembling), etc. Adaptors These are more subtle e.g. yawning when we are bored or clenching our fists when we are angry. Adapters and affect displays are the two modes of non verbal communication over which the individual has very little control. The last non verbal type of communication is proxemics. It involves communicating by making use of the space around us. Hall identified three kinds of space :- Feature Fixed Space Semi Fixed Feature Space Informal Space Feature Fixed Space It deals with how various cultures make use of their space on a large scale e.g. by making buildings, parks, etc. Semi Fixed Feature Space It deals with how people belonging to different cultures arrange the space inside said buildings, e.g. the placement of plants, chairs, desks, etc. Informal Space It is the space that is most important to us e.g. how close people sit to one another, office space, etc. A production line worker has to make an appointment to visit his supervisor, however, the supervisor can come and meet the production line workers as and when he wishes. Oral Communication It is easier to learn than non verbal communication. The only problem in oral communication is Para Language i.e. how something is said. Even though words should convey the same meaning to everybody, the rate, volume and emphasis placed on them can completely change their meaning. e.g. In the sentence, I would like to help you, by placing emphasis on the words I, Like, Help and You one at a time while saying the same phrase conveys a different meaning of this same phrase all four times. Written Communication It is usually easier to adapt, learn and deal with in the business world (as compared to non verbal communication) because of the simple fact that each language is unique in itself. e.g. hair and hare are pronounced in the same way but written in a different way and also have very different meanings. Another example can be of the word minute in the sentence The button was so minute that it was a minute before I found it. Thus, written communication also must be done with great care lest we convey the wrong meaning to the recipient of the message. CHALLENGES OF CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION International businesses are, nowadays, facing new obstacles in their internal communication structures because of major reforms brought about in the internal communication structure through acquisitions, mergers, internationalization, downsizing, etc. Lack of investment in teaching language socialisation and cross cultural communication training often leads to deficiency in the internal cohesion of the company. Some of the by products of poor cross cultural communication are poor working relations, poor retention of staff, loss of customers, internal power struggles, low productivity, lack of co operation and loss of competitive edge by the company. Cross cultural communications consultants work with international companies to minimise in order to maximise cross cultural awareness and the consequences thereof among the employees. Given below are some hurdles to cross cultural communication 1) Lack of Communication Even though lack of communication seems to be a very obvious problem in miscommunication, it also continues to be a major reason behind poor cross cultural communication. Lack of communication with staff refers not only to lack of spoken dialogue but also to access to information. e.g. Some ways of withholding information from the staff are not informing the staff about actions and decisions that will affect their roles, not giving feedback (positive or negative), failure to properly communicate to the staff what is expected of them, etc. This eventually results in alienating the staff base which feels divided from its superiors and the management. If managers are too selective about the information that they provide to the staff, the staff starts feeling suspicious and jealous. This in turn, leads to internal strife rather than the cohesion that the managers were striving for. A management which foes not interact physically with its staff shows that it is not interested in its staff and that it does not trust or respect the staff. In the West, it has been observed that usually there is only downward communication. The staff reports to the managers and the managers report to senior managers and so on. Ideally, communication should br both ways (upward as well as downward). The seniors should take feedback from their subordinates. In the absence of such a system, the subordinates start feeling indifferent, estranged and sometimes even belligerent. Lack of communication is unhealthy, irrespective of what form or situation it may occur in. Managers and companies must have awareness of why, what, to whom and how they are communicating. 2) Language Language can be an obstacle to communication in two ways a) Use of inappropriate language Language carries with it imperceptible messages and meanings transmitted through stress, tone and vocabulary. The wrong use of words and / or emotions hidden behind phrases can send messages that affect the attitude, confidence and self-perception of the staff. Use of critical language gives rise to low self confidence of the staff (at the individual and group level) and poor interpersonal relationships whereas supportive tones and language have the opposite effect. Body language of the speaker and the listener must also be appropriate. Body language can be said to be composed of facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, etc.Facial expressions are a language unto themselves and are universal to all cultures. Our facial expressions can tell other people whether we are happy, sad, confused, etc. Irrespective of the culture, the facial expressions of a person for expressing these emotions, essentially remains the same. Eye contact, on the other hand, plays a key role in setting the tone between two individuals. Its meaning differs greatly in different cultures. In Western Europe and USA, eye contact conveys honesty and interest in what the other person is saying. People who avoid eye contact while speaking are thought to be lying, withholding information or lacking in self confidence. However, in Africa, Middle East and Asian counties, maintaining eye contact is interpreted as being disrespectful and / or challenging ones authority. People who only briefly make eye contact are thought to be courteous and respectful. b) Foreign Languages These days, companies may have indigenous speakers of over 50 different languages all under one roof.   It is important, in such cases to establish one common language for the entire office, whether it be French, r Spanish or English. It is not necessary that this common language must be some language that is common to everyone; it can be the language of the country in which the company is operating or the language spoken and understood by the majority of the employees. In the absence of such a language, everyone will keep speaking but no one will understand anything, leading to chaos in the company. Once the common language is established, all the employees should only converse in this language. This avoids exclusion of staff who cannot understand other languages. The company should also ensure that all its employees are able to converse in the common language. Language tuition should be regarded as a necessity, not a luxury. Culture International businesses equipped with a highly diverse workforce in terms of cultural background and nationality face challenges due to the differences in business practices, ethics, belief system, values, expectations, behaviour and etiquette. Consider the following conversation A soda marketer was glumly sitting at the bar. His friend approaches and asks, Why so serious? He replies, I created this left to right comic strip for a campaign. It showed a famished man crawling across the desert who finds a bottle of soda, chugs it down, and walks away with a cheerful smile. Sales tanked after it ran in the Middle East. Why? Everyone read it from right to left! Now, normally this would make a very good joke. But this is an excellent example of how culture can affect communication. Had the soda marketer been aware that people in the Middle East read from right to left, he could have planned the advertisement accordingly and his business would not have suffered. Cross cultural differences can have a negative impact on a business in a number of ways, whether it may be on team cohesion or on the productivity of the staff. In such multicultural companies, objective help may be needed through a cross cultural consultant who will be able to show individuals and teams how to manage communication and work together in a more productive and cohesive manner. 4) Company Culture Company culture refers to the internal culture of a firm in terms of how it is managed. e.g. Does it view its different departments i.e. Administration, Human Resources, Sales, Production, Accounts, etc. as open systems or closed systems? A closed system is one in which there is a total lack of synergy between the sales and the production department due to the absence of communication lines and structure between them both. A consequence of such compartmentalization is that managers of the various departments have a tendency to become territorial. This is eventually harmful for the organization as its objectives can only be achieved if these departments work together as one unit rather than start functioning as separate, individual units. Thus, it is vital that team building, team spirit and team work are encouraged so as to create open systems. Such measures are particularly valid in mergers and joint ventures wherein co operation between two or more companies requires their total commitment to an open system. Understandably most companies are mainly focused on the strategic and financial side of company operations. International businesses are now realising that many of their business problems have their roots in man management and communication. Stereotyping . It refers to putting someone or something in a certain category based on our own and / others experiences and opinions. Stereotyping has a negative impact on communication. It inhibits communication as it alters our perception and results in us making pre-selected interpretations thus hindering an objective understanding of the communication by us. Perception of information Another challenge of cross cultural communication is how the communication is perceived. In this case, attention is mainly given to body language. Different cultures have different ways of interpreting body language. e.g. in the Chinese culture, waving at a person is intended to indicate to that person to come where you are unlike in the western culture where it is used as a gesture to say goodbye. Such a small gesture can result in miscommunication due to the cross cultural differences. Thus, such gestures should be carefully observed and learned by the speaker as well as the listener. Behavioural Constraints Each culture has its own set of laws on proper behaviour that affect both verbal and non verbal communication. Such behavioural constraints include making eye contact. Where, in some cultures (Asian, African, etc.), it is interpreted as a lack of respect especially when addressing the elderly, in others (like that of USA, UK) it shows that the person is honest and has confidence in himself. Other behavioural constraints include how close one stands to another person while talking to him / her, the tonal variation, etc. All these differences in behavioural constraints make cross cultural communication difficult and ineffective. GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVE CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION Strategies to make cross- cultural communication effective are given below :- 1) Flexibility Flexibility in character is an important strategy to make cross cultural communication effective. An individual has to deal with different people belonging to many different cultures. One should not be rigid and stick to ones normal character, way of speech, etc. The individual has to change according to the culture he is working in so as to make the communication more effective. One should be flexible while communicating, i.e. people should change their way of speech and behaviour according to the character of other party and make the other party join in on the conversation so as to facilitate a smooth flow of the same. This will also help in creating a cool and friendly atmosphere between communicating parties. If an individual is flexible, he can change / adapt according to the situation. 2) Honesty This is very much needed in cross cultural communication. Being honest will make the communication better and successful. If one person is honest and the other person is not, the communication will not proceed in a smooth manner. Honest communication also strengthens the relationship between the communicating parties, especially if they belong to different cultures. While participating in cross cultural communication, both parties should be honest in what they are saying, otherwise they will not get the desired result. An honest communication can result in a perfect deal for both the parties involved in the communication. If an important business matter is being discussed, honesty shown by both parties will go a long way in making some important and successful decisions and deals. 3) Listening Listening skills are an important part of cross cultural communication. A person who has low concentration and poor listening skills will be unable to achieve effectiveness in cross cultural communication. Cross cultural communication involves dealing with people belonging to different cultures wherein importance is given only to the communication process without engaging in any other activities. An individual should be calm and quiet while listening to what the other person is saying so as to facilitate a smooth communication process. 4) Mutual Respect Respecting each other is an important strategy of making make cross cultural communication effective. Respect should be given in all talks and forms in cross cultural communication. Both parties should give equal respect, in all their talks and opinions, to each other. In case of someone having a different opinion, the individual should respect the other persons opinion even though it might not agree with his own opinion. An individual should not be rigid about his opinions and should keep an open mind and give equal opportunity to the other party also to give their opinions on the subject and if an agreement is reached, a decision can be made, thus making the communication effective between the parties belonging to different cultures. 5) Understanding each other While communicating with people belonging to different cultures, understanding each other is an important skill to make cross cultural communication effective. Asking questions helps in getting a better idea and understand what the other person is saying.. A better understanding of the situation, the other party, their opinions and suggestions will give more confidence in tackling the problem and finding its solution. Both communicating parties should have skills in recognizing complexity of the talks and decisions. This will help in a better settlement of the matter and that too, without any conflicts. 6) Building Self Awareness and Confidence Both parties should be self aware for making cross cultural communication a success. Self awareness can only be developed by dealing with people belonging to different cultures and backgrounds. People should think twice before making any statement or decision. Self-awareness can be developed by asking others questions about oneself and getting the answers to the same. This helps us in getting a better idea about ourselves. Self-awareness also increases confidence in making cross cultural communication effective and successful. 7) Avoid Stereotyping Stereotyping inhibits communication. Individual should keep an open mind while communicating with other people. He should not entertain any pre conceived notions about the other party as these will cloud his judgement and decisions and lead to conflicts. Keeping an open mind will help the individual to think objectively and make accurate decisions.